There will be a live stream at 3pm today on KEXP - http://kexp.org/video/live

There also will be a KCSN studio session later this week; details forthcoming.

Jiff

01-06-2015, 04:46 PM

Beautiful day in Seattle today, Jan 6. See ya at the Neptune. I'm the tall guy with white hair and beard in the "Club" section. Paid the extra $30. Figured the lower level will be chair-less. Last time I was there, for The Waterboys, the sound in the balcony was dull.

Anyone going to these west coast shows? I'd love to hear some thoughts, reviews, and/or setlist surprises! I'll be at the Fonda show in LA, if anyone would like to meet up with my crew.

Jiff

01-08-2015, 01:06 PM

We really enjoyed the Seattle show at The Neptune Theater (Jan 6, 2015). My all-time favorite Jayhawks show, beating out the 2000 show that toured Smile, my second favorite Jayhawks album. This show was better in that six or seven songs from my favorite Jayhawks, Rainy Day Music, were also played. Hard to say if the RDMusic songs were more pleasing on Tuesday or in 2003 when the four piece Jayhawks, with Stephen McCarthy’s lead guitar and pedal steel, played them.

Tuesday had the same lineup as 2000 except Karen Grotberg instead of Jen Gunderman on keyboards. Jessy Greene on violin and John Jackson on mandolin are nice background, no singing, but the show would have been just as satisfying without them. Plenty of highlights Tuesday, including an awesome version of Smile. The finale with The Shades helping out on Until You Came Along was sweet. Their set as openers, with Trapper Shoepp’s energy and his brother’s harmonies, was pretty damn good.

I must say, I certainly prefer the Olson-less shows. The 2011 (Hardly Strictly Bluegrass) and 2012 (Bumbershoot) shows with him paled in comparison to 2000 and Tuesday. Maybe I just like Louris’ songs better, but both the ’11 and ’12 shows seemed uninspired.

Good to see a big crowd for them on a Tuesday night. The Neptune holds 800 and it looked pretty full. The 2012 Bumbershoot crowd was pretty small and Gary’s Vagabond show here in 2008 was cancelled because of poor sales. Glad we paid the extra $30 on top of the $25 for Club seats. Standing for 3 ½ hours? No thanks. Manny’s 12 oz drafts - $6.

A few pictures I took:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/67928702@N00/sets/72157647846536204/with/16040527349/

Runningpotleaf

01-08-2015, 02:39 PM

recent Jayhawks/GL article more less promoting the show at the The Coach House

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/louris-647431-band-says.html

"Once this run of shows wraps up Louris says he’s got a variety of projects, both with the band and without, to tackle. There’s a record he’s working on in North Carolina with singer-songwriter Django Haskins, and a couple of ideas for solo albums, too.

And the Jayhawks have a handful of summer shows overseas, and maybe even a new record together, too."

Shug

01-08-2015, 05:41 PM

Setlist?

Specifically, did they play Stick In The Mud or Trouble? Please!

PD, if you are game and see your way to somehow "encourage" them to play Stick In The Mud in Los Angeles, I'd be both stoked and extremely grateful! :)

CaffeineZombie

01-08-2015, 08:03 PM

Thanks for the review and pics, Jiff!

Nice to see Kraigy rockin' the old black Telecaster again.

deckerma

01-08-2015, 08:49 PM

Setlist?

Specifically, did they play Stick In The Mud or Trouble? Please!

PD, if you are game and see your way to somehow "encourage" them to play Stick In The Mud in Los Angeles, I'd be both stoked and extremely grateful! :)

great show in Portland last night - no Stick in the Mud (probably my favorite), but they did play Trouble.

Oleo

01-08-2015, 09:37 PM

Thanks for the reviews. Seems like forever since we've had them on the west coast. I'm going to the Solana Beach and Capistrano shows next week. Did they have any merch at the shows? I need to replace my old Jayhawks shirt.

Jiff

01-08-2015, 10:01 PM

great show in Portland last night - no Stick in the Mud (probably my favorite), but they did play Trouble.

Yes, same for Seattle. The setlist was pretty much the same as the October shows folks have posted here.

Yeah Zombie. It looked to be an affectionately battered Tele. Kraig rocked it on Sedan Delivery.

"who is also juggling two side projects, as yet unnamed, one with The Old Ceremony’s Django Haskins, another with Tonic’s Emerson Hart."

ChiefCrowe

01-11-2015, 02:00 PM

Super awesome show last night!! I had such a blast. So did the band. So great to see a mandolin player and Jessy Greene sit in for the whole show! Brief recap - some highlights were Sound of Lies with fiddle, Last Cigarette, Real Light, Sedan Delivery!!

Also, Kraig was having a blast up there, and even lost his guitar strap for a song which was funny - even the tech couldn't fix it in the moment. The smog songs were really cool - Jennifer Save Me, Looking forward to Seeing you featuring Jessy singing and the last song of the night with the opening band Until You Came Along which is always super fun and brought back some great memories. Gary even kissed Kraig when they were sharing a mic. CLASSIC!
The last song almost felt like an old Smog show - it really feels good to see these guys having such a fun time on stage.

Gary stopped a song a couple times at the start saying he was nervous hahah and he commented that there should have been a barricade (maybe some rowdy fans up front!) Vocals were super excellent too, I live for harmonies.

Wish I could see them again on this tour but it was really nice to see them after 3 years, it felt so good to see one of my favorite bands ever. I can only hope they will tour again sooner than later!

Shug

01-11-2015, 02:26 PM

I agree, ChiefCrowe, The Fonda Hollywood show last night was FANTASTIC, night and day compared to what we saw in St. Paul and the first night of Minneapolis last year. The way the band sounded last night made those shows pale in comparison and sound like the public rehearsals that they really were. I mean they didn't play bad in October, but last night showed what this band can REALLY do when they shake the rust off and get a little bit road-oiled.

They just played far tighter, hitting the changes really hard, perfectly synchronized. The vocal blend with Gary Tim and Karen was flawless and jaw droppingly gorgeous. I mean they achieved studio perfection in a live setting. Gary's voice sounded so pure and clear. He is an amazing singer. The guitar solos were fairly concise but very intense . Gary was ripping some nasty solos against Kraig's steady rhythm guitar, all locked in tight with Perlman, O'Reagan and Grotberg. I think they even impressed themselves, Gary dryly noting at one point after a particularly strong song mid-set that "we're pretty good" or some words to that effect. They were justifiably proud, it seemed to me, to be in LA headling a good-sized theater (far bigger than the club i saw them in in Memphis in 2003) that was quite full. The Jayhawks still got it, all these years later, proving they still have their powers and can still draw a good crowd. I guess its not that surprising, when you combine the talent, experience and songwriting and performing craft they have consistently had, but things didn't look so good for the Jayhawks, IMO, in the past few years and Gary has certainly said things in public that make it clear he has had mixed feelings about continuing as the Jayhawks. But they put all of that behind them and put on a tremendous performance. Hell, yeah!

Just a few of the highest highlights for me were Trouble, Tampa To Tulsa, and Ain't No End, the vocals on all three of those were over-the-top fantastic. The dark guitar riffs in Take Me With You When You Go was another. Real Light sounded great on the guitars, too. I just love the way Tim and Gary blend on the Hollywood Town Hall and Green Grass songs., so powerful . The setlist seems to be pretty consistent, from show to show on this West Coast swing. with maybe just one or two songs switched out and slight tweaks in the sequencing from night to night. I missed hearing A Break In The Clouds, Stick In The Mud and Nothing Left To Borrow, but was impressed with live versions of songs that haven't been faves of mine before, like Somewhere In Ohio and The Man Who Loved Life. All the Rainy Day Music stuff was played to perfection, too, especially nice to have violin and mandolin on those rootsier songs.

I'm so glad we made this show, anybody seeing them from here on out on this tour is in for a good one!

ChiefCrowe

01-11-2015, 02:35 PM

oh yeah, Ain't no end!! SO GOOD!! not to mention the really nice tones from Gary's SG and Flying V! Kraig had a couple nice little solos too :)

someone already posted some clips from the show!!

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=jayhawks+fonda

Oleo

01-13-2015, 12:57 PM

I caught the last two nights in Solana Beach and San Juan Capistrano. They were great shows, maybe not my all time favorite Jayhawks shows (TTGG and RDM tours) but still excellent and I may just regard those old shows so highly because of my excitement about the new material at the time. As with the rest of the posted setlists there were very slight variations in the setlists between the two shows, maybe two or three songs were switched out. Highlights for me were Ain't No End with Karen's harmony, I'm Gonna Make You Love Me with the mandolin and Take Me With You for reasons I can't pinpoint. Disappointed that they didn't play Bottomless Cup at either show. Gary got annoyed with the SB audience for being noisy during SOL. Encouraged us to tell each other to shut up. Semi-regrettable stage banter in my opinion.

This was my first time at the Coach House and it was like a 1970's time capsule. I kept thinking of the bar in Blues Brothers with the chicken wire in front of the stage where they have "both kinds" of music "country and western.". Seemed like the SB crowd was significantly bigger than the Coach House crowd but it's also a smaller room.

Good shows and I really hope that they will make another record as has been teased.

jebstuart

01-13-2015, 09:26 PM

Who Made YOu King would be a stellar live song. Have the Jayhawks ever played this one live? I can only imagine what the guitar solo would sound like.

bryguy

01-14-2015, 11:18 AM

I caught the SF and Belly Up shows. I snagged a setlist from the Fillmore show in SF (which they were all gracious enough to sign). I'll scan and post that later.

I have never heard this band sound better or have so much fun on stage. After finishing Angelyn at the Solana Beach show, Gary said, "I wonder how fast we could play this," then they tore into it at a major rocking speed, then kicked it up even more! So fun.

In chatting with the band after each show, it's clear that they all want to make a new record- which according to Karen, is a fairly new thing. Kraig said they've done a little writing already. BUT, this doesn't mean there WILL be a new record. Gary has said a number of times that if they can write good songs they will record- if they're not happy with what they come up with- a new record won't happen. Karen added that IF there was a new record it would be a while- Gary's got some projects he wants to tend to (solo album perhaps among them). Tim said a new solo album for him isn't very likely, but if he feels inspired he might give it some thought. I asked Pearly about recording again with Janey. he said they've talked about it, but she's really busy- but it's possible.

Gary and Marc both said a new Golden Smog album isn't likely to happen. Marc said Murphy is an art dealer now and doesn't play his guitar anymore.

Trapper Schoepp was a fun opening act- and just good guys. Trapper (the singer) was telling me that it's been surreal to be on the road with some of their musical heroes. Their manager was the road manager for Golden Smog on their last tour, that's how the connection was made.

When Trapper and his band walked out, no one introduced them! So I said to Trapper (I was in the middle, right against the stage) "No introduction?!" Next thing I know he calls me on stage to introduce them. haha... good times.

Great evening. Great music. Hoping for a new album.

Oleo

01-14-2015, 10:26 PM

That's hilarious! When you got up from the audience and took the mic I was thinking "what the heck is this guy doing? It's a little early in the night for a guy to climb on stage and take the mic." Then you introduced them very professionally and I thought it must have been a planned thing.

Thanks for the information on their possible plans. I do hope that the material comes together for an album. I'm not sure what Gary needs a solo album for when he's the songwriter, singer and guitarist for the Jayhawks anyway. I do wish Tim would get the opportunity to do another solo album. His is my favorite of all the Jayhawks side projects.

bryguy

01-14-2015, 11:57 PM

That's hilarious! When you got up from the audience and took the mic I was thinking "what the heck is this guy doing? It's a little early in the night for a guy to climb on stage and take the mic." Then you introduced them very professionally and I thought it must have been a planned thing.

Thanks for the information on their possible plans. I do hope that the material comes together for an album. I'm not sure what Gary needs a solo album for when he's the songwriter, singer and guitarist for the Jayhawks anyway. I do wish Tim would get the opportunity to do another solo album. His is my favorite of all the Jayhawks side projects.

haha.. Hey Oleo. No, it wasn't planned, but I got a good laugh out of it. And of course, my brother got no pics. I'm trading him in for a new one soon! I didn't have the guts to ask Gary if I could introduce them :-).

I know what you mean about a solo album for Gary. My guess is that it's good for him to shed the Jayhawks name sometimes. With that name comes a lot of stuff. hearing him talk about making Vagabonds was really cool back then- how he loved working with other musicians, making different sounds.

This was at least the second time I've asked Tim about a new solo album. Last time I asked him he had said he prefered just playing and not being the guy making all the decisions etc. Bummer- 'cause his album sure is good.

I just love the fact that all of them make themselves available. Kraig seemed the least social after both shows. Pearly, who seems so quiet, is actually very casual and comfortable chatting. After the SF show, karen had told him that I was outside. The guys comes out just to sign and chat. It would have been so easy to blow it off, but he was great.

Glad you liked the show. Good times, huh?

bryguy

01-15-2015, 12:08 AM

Gary got annoyed with the SB audience for being noisy during SOL. Encouraged us to tell each other to shut up. Semi-regrettable stage banter in my opinion.

Gary was pretty peeved. The other part I thought was interesting was when he told someone, "don't you stand there at every show we play here?" It brought to mind something I read in an interview after they disbanded after the RDM tour when Gary basically said he got tired of playing the same places to the same people. Tour fatigue?

sacred roots

01-15-2015, 04:10 AM

Always happy to hear positive reviews of these shows over the last 6 months. I'm obviously biased but, man oh man, the difference between now and a few years ago is so profound that you can taste it.

RE: Possible Gary solo album.

1) The characterization of Gary as the "songwriter, singer and guitarist" of The Jayhawks is not entirely accurate. Sure he's the main guy but SOL/Smile/RDM all had significant contributions from other members of the band. The fact that MT was comprised solely of Olson/Louris songs with no other singing and songwriting contributions from anyone else was a significant flaw in that record in many people's minds. I'm not the only one who considers that a "Jayhawks record" in name only. Gary has, for better or worse, mostly disowned that record and I'm guessing a lot of that has to do with the lack of a strong group dynamic during the time the record was created and recorded. It probably should've been another Olson/Louris album (as it was originally intended) but that's a story for another time.

2) Judging from comments Gary has made over the last few years, a solo album is needed simply because he's got a lot of new material that doesn't exactly fit into the confines of what he thinks a "Jayhawks record" should be. It's not like the band has never taken sharp turns before (SOL and Smile would be obvious examples) but Gary evidently has ideas that might work better with a different set(s) of ingredients in the mix.

Who knows, some of the ideas Gary has for a new solo record could evolve into new Jayhawks material or vice versa. Maybe the abundant good vibes surrounding the current incarnation of the band will negate the need for a new solo album. Or maybe recent events will result in an explosion of creativity that will be sufficient for a new group and solo album. I think the important thing is to have plenty of options and let the various creative processes lead where they may.

zebulon

01-15-2015, 10:05 AM

Great news from the other (far) side of the pond. Happy to see all the great reviews. I know Gary dislikes MT, but even if it is far from being my favourite Jayhawks album, I still like it. Now, those overseas concerts for summer, and the plans for the solo /group albums make this 2015 year SHINE! GO JAYHAWKS!

wheelhousetunes

01-15-2015, 11:42 AM

I think I'd be equally happy with a new Gary solo or current Jayhawks line-up record.

Vagabonds is definitely the best thing from the extended camp since RDM so I think either would be awesome.

ChiefCrowe

01-15-2015, 12:13 PM

Completely agree with this post!

Although I thought Salvation Blues was right up there as well.

and thanks guys for the info about possible new projects.

I think I'd be equally happy with a new Gary solo or current Jayhawks line-up record.

Vagabonds is definitely the best thing from the extended camp since RDM so I think either would be awesome.

bryguy

01-15-2015, 02:11 PM

I think the important thing is to have plenty of options and let the various creative processes lead where they may.

No doubt. Like most artists, Gary is probably quite happy when he's creating something. Whatever form it takes, I'm there.

jebstuart

01-15-2015, 06:10 PM

Appreciate all the good info the board puts out there. Too bad the MT period was not a good one. I still like that album and play it on a regular basis. Whatever Gary and the band ends up doing I hope it is new and creative. Too bad there will be no more Smog. Those boys always put on a great show and all of the Golden Smog records still sound great to this day.

Oleo

01-15-2015, 11:44 PM

Always happy to hear positive reviews of these shows over the last 6 months. I'm obviously biased but, man oh man, the difference between now and a few years ago is so profound that you can taste it.

RE: Possible Gary solo album.

1) The characterization of Gary as the "songwriter, singer and guitarist" of The Jayhawks is not entirely accurate. Sure he's the main guy but SOL/Smile/RDM all had significant contributions from other members of the band. The fact that MT was comprised solely of Olson/Louris songs with no other singing and songwriting contributions from anyone else was a significant flaw in that record in many people's minds. I'm not the only one who considers that a "Jayhawks record" in name only. Gary has, for better or worse, mostly disowned that record and I'm guessing a lot of that has to do with the lack of a strong group dynamic during the time the record was created and recorded. It probably should've been another Olson/Louris album (as it was originally intended) but that's a story for another time.

2) Judging from comments Gary has made over the last few years, a solo album is needed simply because he's got a lot of new material that doesn't exactly fit into the confines of what he thinks a "Jayhawks record" should be. It's not like the band has never taken sharp turns before (SOL and Smile would be obvious examples) but Gary evidently has ideas that might work better with a different set(s) of ingredients in the mix.

Who knows, some of the ideas Gary has for a new solo record could evolve into new Jayhawks material or vice versa. Maybe the abundant good vibes surrounding the current incarnation of the band will negate the need for a new solo album. Or maybe recent events will result in an explosion of creativity that will be sufficient for a new group and solo album. I think the important thing is to have plenty of options and let the various creative processes lead where they may.

I'll be happy with a solo album or a Jayhawks album and hopefully both! I question the need for a solo record because his last solo record sounds more like the Jayhawks than some Jayhawks records do. I still don't get why he didn't just make a Jayhawks record. Maybe the next one will be a radical departure though, who knows? I would certainly like for them to follow up RDM at some point and yeah, Mockingbird Time was some kind of weird alternate reality that I'm still trying to figure out.

bryguy

01-16-2015, 12:00 AM

I'd imagine that if a group plays together so long the patterns can become ruts and the process of creating could become stale. Working with other people- singers, musicians, collaborators, producers- would draw out different things. Vagabonds wasn't a drastic departure from the Jayhawks sound, but I recall from reading interviews with Gary at the time, it seemed refreshing getting there. PD could correct me, but I think Vagabonds the song, was found by PD in a recording from an old Jayhawks show. The lines are blurred for sure. I'd love to see a follow up to it- it's a brilliant album.

Oleo

01-16-2015, 09:41 AM

Probably right. It's more about the process.

wheelhousetunes

01-16-2015, 10:00 AM

Completely agree with this post!

Although I thought Salvation Blues was right up there as well.

100% agree. Mark's best. I forgot it was during this timeframe.

Runningpotleaf

02-11-2015, 02:47 PM

The Belly Up show can be purchased here

http://www.bellyupmusic.com/download-store/shows/show/483

wheelhousetunes

02-11-2015, 03:42 PM

The Belly Up show can be purchased here

http://www.bellyupmusic.com/download-store/shows/show/483

Might need it's own thread! I've already downloaded it and am looking forward to cranking it up tonight with some coldies.